The Fear of Being Alone
by NavyBlueWings
Summary: It seemed like a normal night for Sasuke. After refusing Sakura, Sasuke wants nothing but to go home. So when fate places a boxer-clad past on his doorstep,can he escape the love confession he tried to forget? NARUSASU. Lemon one shot, reviews are nice


Hey! Yes yes, I know what you're all either wondering about Therapy or how this isn't a choice on the poll in my profile. In all honestly, I forgot about this idea until I heard the song that inspired it today. Therapy is not being cancelled or anything like that; I just work better when I switch up stories instead of writing them in consecutive order. And I'm using this to help break up Therapy! So wish me luck and I hope you enjoy!

The song of inspiration? "The Fear of Being Alone" by Reba Macentire. Hence, the title of this one-shot. It's not really that close to the story, but my original idea was…then it…kinds formed into this –sweatdrops- I'm trying new relationships! Bah to you! I don't own the song. Just the story

**Warning: **** No lemon, but—looks to sex plot bunnies- GOD DAMNIT! ONE story with no sex, that's all I ask for! –sighs- I guess a lemon and it is a boyxboy story. Damn bunnies…**

**Oh! And it's a NARUSASU. As in, yes, Naruto is on top. BUT BUT BUT, if you trust my writing, I'm sure you'll like it. =)**

**Disclaimer: ****There will be several things in this story that I don't own. But what about what I do own? Huh? Don't you care about my needs?! –coughs- uh…sorry….I don't own Naruto.**

**The Fear of Being Alone**

"That's it! I've had enough, Sasuke. This is the fourth…no, fifth time that you've stayed late for work and cancelled our plans. I hardly even see you anymore!" It was interesting how high Sakura's voice could go when she was upset. Every time she made another complaint, she would increase her octave. She shouldn't have been a nurse, but an opera singer. Despite the need to suggest the occupation change, I kept silent during her rant. Instead, I tapped my pencil against the front of my desk, estimating how long she would seethe until she hung up. "I'm not sure what is _so _important that you can't leave it for tomorrow and come back to your apartment to see me. Do you even realize what today is? Do you understand why this is important? More important than anything you need to finish there!"

Of course I knew what day it was. I wasn't stupid. I graduated in high school as salutatorian, and college as valedictorian (Nara Shikamaru attended a different university). Despite my education awards, certain people seemed to question my intelligence. My acquaintance on the phone, whom I had been introduced to during my junior year of college, was one of two people who dared to question my intellect when angered enough. Haruno Sakura continued to follow me throughout the rest of school before I finally agreed to go out on a date with her after we graduated college. That was two years ago, and she had continued to ask for a serious relationship that I wanted nothing to do with.

The other one I hadn't spoken to in several years. Ironically, the bright yellow coating of my writing device oddly reminded me that he was blonde. The normal silver metal that held the eraser in place was colored blue, another connection to my high school…affiliation. Not that I needed any help remembering someone as obnoxious as him.

"You aren't even listening to me anymore, are you?" Well, now I was. Slightly irked by the idea of being distracted by something as simple as a pencil's color, I dropped it onto the desk and spun my chair to face the window in my office.

"My work is extremely important."

"So important that you can't stop for one night? I bought these theatre tickets months ago, and they weren't cheap."

"I'll pay you back."

"That's not that point, Sasuke! You said you'd come with me, and you didn't. I looked like a fool, sitting outside of the theatre and waiting for you. I was there for an hour!"

"I'm a computer engineer with a deadline; sometimes I'm required to stay late. It's life, Sakura." I rubbed the side of my temple while I leaned back in my seat, watching the cars outside of my window speed through the half deserted streets. But with the clock racing toward midnight, it was no surprise.

"Do you even care?" Her question seemed pointless, but I answered anyways.

"Would I stay late if I didn't?"

"I didn't mean about your job. I meant about us, our….our relationship. Do you care about _that_?" As I said earlier, I wasn't an idiot. Which would mean that I knew that Sakura wanted me to answer with a 'yes'. She wished for me to tell her that I wanted to be with her, and perhaps make a future with marriage and children. As a 23 year old male, I knew better than to answer in the negative. The pencil rolled into my eyesight again, and I was drawn to it much more than the woman on the other side of the phone. I blamed it for my moment of honesty.

"I enjoy your company, as I have for many years. The feelings, however, have stayed at the level of friend. I do not seeing us going any further than that."

"Fr-friends?" She whispered, her voice suddenly losing the bellowing power she exhibited minutes before. I followed another racing car with my eyes before answering.

"Friends."

"How can you just think of us as friends after everything we've been through? You haven't dated any other women; you haven't even bothered to look at them! I've been the only one in your apartment, you said it yourself. How could there be nothing here, Sasuke? I mean, for years…_years, _I've been the only one in your life. You've pushed every other person away, submerged yourself in work, and I don't even think you know what the word 'sex' is anymore!"

"I'm quite aware of what it is."

"That's all you can say to me? You don't want to say anything else?" I quietly sighed when I heard the slight break in her voice, which she tried to hide behind her anger.

"I didn't intend to hurt you."

"But you did! You really are hurting me, Sasuke. Because I…I really think you're making a mistake. If you just gave me a chance, I think you could love me…love me like I—"

"Sakura," I interrupted, not wanting to hear her next few words. Still, without them I felt the slight pain in my stomach from a buried memory that had my eyes glancing back over to the pencil.

"_I love you. God, I love you more than anyone else. A-And I need you to know that you love me too." _

"Sasuke?" Going with the memory, I responded the same way that conversation had ended several years ago.

"You don't love me, Sakura. You're just afraid of being alone."

"That's not true!" I continued as if I hadn't heard her protest.

"I expected your infatuation to dwindle at some point, especially with Rock Lee's attempts to court you."

"Lee? The…the kid that lives across from me?" She asked weakly, sniffling from her crying. Sakura was always the emotional type, and went through a box of tissues whenever she subjected me to watch 'the notebook' with her.

"Yes."

"H-He's…got we-weird eyebrows." That was true. He also had large eyes, and looked like he raided a leprechaun's closet for clothing. But still, his determination and strength was something that most people could consider positive attributes.

"Hn."

"Why are…are you telling me this?"

"Because I'm aware of how paper-thin your apartment walls are, and said counterpart will be coming to your door in a few minutes to check on your emotional health. I suggest you prepare tea for your guest, and learn more about him than his eyebrow size." I paused, but didn't leave the silence lingering long. "If you give up on myself and focus on him, I'm sure you'll come to the conclusion that you are not alone."

"But we—uh…just a minute!" I knew from the way her voice distanced itself that she was calling to someone outside of her apartment. I could feel myself smirking at the idea of understanding how simple some people could be. "We should really talk tomorrow."

"There's nothing to speak about, Sakura."

"I…are you sure?"

"Goodnight." I ended the phone call before she could say another word. Soft approaches didn't work with Sakura because she was too faithful to accept them. Cutting any parts of an intimate relationship with her was necessary to get through to her. Plus, I knew Lee was there to comfort her. If I was fortunate, his overbearing personality would help her forget about her attraction to me. I turned back toward my desk, staring at the plans that lay neatly across my desk. For a few minutes I contemplated continuing where I left off, but Sakura's previous shouting had created an ache in the front of my head. I decided to call it a night, satisfied with the advancements I made in the plans. Five minutes before midnight, I locked the office doors while quietly heading toward my car. The car alarm clicked twice, echoing through the parking lot that I had grown accustomed to being empty.

I had been alone for a while. Once I finished high school, I moved out of my parent's house and into my university's dorms. My roommate, Inuzuka Kiba, was hardly ever in the room, which I preferred. How the moron made it into college I wasn't sure, until I saw his sport scholarships. Still, his loud and intolerably intrusive behavior was annoying. Because of him or because of what he reminded me of, I refused to analyze. I did know his spiky hair was only acceptable because it was dark. Either way, the nuisance went his own way after college, and I moved into the city. Within the first year, I was able to land a stable job with a suitable income. I bought myself an apartment, though I barely had been there the past two weeks.

I moved through the city and made it home within fifteen minutes. Normally it took me longer with the excessive traffic lights, but the gods had other plans set in place for tonight and kept most green throughout my ride. Had I been one minute off, my life would have continued normally. Unaware of the future, I locked my car before draping my jacket over my arm, the humid air of July outweighing formality. I walked into the apartment complex, easily making my way up two flights of stairs toward my floor. I turned into the hallway, already preparing my house key.

And then, I heard him.

"Damnit Ino. Open the god damn door! This is _our _new apartment, you know!" There, standing in bright orange boxers and banging on the door across from mine, was a memory. I blinked slowly, wondering if somehow I had dozed off on my desk before I had left the office. I debated it silently while watching the blond continue to shout at the door, seeming to forget the time until the lady next to them tossed a slipper at his head. He blinked once before glaring to the old woman, engaging in a new fight with her while I quickly dismissed the theory of a dream. If that was the case, there would be no way I'd dress the idiot in such attire. And I was positive that there would be no old woman in a less than confining nightgown appearing in my dream.

"You loud mouthed brat. Quiet down!"

"You wrinkled old lady! I'll do whatever the hell I please, I don't need no granny telling me what to do. So ha!" Like a child, he stuck out his tongue and grinned when he received a door slam from the older woman. Ah, the stupidity level that he possessed would have been impossible for my brain to portray right.

"Dobe." The word presented itself without my permission, and the insult felt almost foreign from the lack of use. His bare shoulders tensed, and I notice his spine straighten from the exposed skin left for anyone to see. He had grown taller, and I couldn't tell if he was still shorter than me. He has lost some of his baby fat. Still, he was anything but lanky. In fact, I regretted the observation that he may be larger than me. I silently cursed myself for watching and the misstep of my heartbeat. Before the nonsense could go any further, I controlled my face and scowled normally while he turned to face me. Reacquainting myself with his gaze, I realized the blue metal from earlier was much duller than the two eyes staring up at me in surprise. His mouth opened like a fish, and I fought to continue to scowl at how ridiculous he looked.

"Teme?" He asked quietly, and I was slightly put off by the insecurity of his voice. Then again, being locked out of his apartment in only his boxers could be a valid reason for feeling that way. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I live here, idiot. I'm assuming you do as well." Somewhere, in the back of my head, I remembered our landlord announcing the apartment being rented. I just never thought I'd need to ask who it was.

"Well, yeah. I…uh, well me and Ino moved in a couple days ago. It's the first night we've slept here, though." It would explain our lack of interaction earlier. I was never here during the day, and he slept somewhere else at night. He stared at me for a few seconds before quirking his lips in a smile that made me look away. "Sasuke how…how are you?"

"Alive, as you can see." Trying not to show the same uncertainty he had earlier, I pulled my gaze from him in order to stare at the door adjacent from mine."Woman trouble, Naruto?" It was hard to say it so casually, but I had learned to control my feeling a while ago. His nervous chuckle, however, was like acid to any preparation I had made throughout the years.

"Ino's just being pissy again; I think she's PMSing. You know how women get," He said, as if I knew who this woman was. I pressed my lips together in distaste for the conversation, knowing it was leading nowhere I wanted to go.

"Hn." I moved to my door, turning my back on the boxer-clad blond in order to unlock my apartment. I slid the key into the door just before Naruto spoke.

"Wait!" I instantly stopped, and counteracted my movement by sending a glare over my shoulder.

"What?"

"You're not just gonna leave me out here, right? I'm half naked!" He enjoyed stating the obvious, even during high school. It made me roll my eyes before turning back toward my door, twisting the key to unlock it.

"You're not my problem anymore." The words barely made it from my mouth before two hands rested flat against my door, one on each side of my head. My hand paused on the doorknob, eyes staring into the mahogany wood in front of me. Without looking, I could tell Naruto was close; we had been in this position several times before. The natural warmth he produced heated my back more than the humidity.

"Wait, just…just _wait_." As if playing 'Simon says', I didn't move. Not that I had a choice, really. If I proceeded into my apartment, Naruto's hands would fall from the door and I'd get knocked over. And in the middle of the night, the last thing I needed was to draw attention to myself. So instead, I focused my attention on the tanned hand that fisted against the wood. He was trying to think of something to stay, I could tell. I probably could tell his mind process if I turned to look at his face. To me, Naruto was an open book. "Can we talk? Someplace quiet?"

"No."

"What?! Why not?"

"Keep your voice down, dobe." I jerked my elbow back, hitting it into his stomach. It wasn't enough to leave him breathless, but was sufficient for a warning.

"I wouldn't be so loud if you just said yes you know." And I had a feeling he had no intention of moving his hands without an agreement. Too tired to continue the childish banter, I scoffed.

"Fine, you have ten minutes. Then you're out." He seemed satisfied with my answer, and I caught a glimpse of his smile while he pulled back from the door. I finally pushed into the dark apartment, ignoring the slight sting when I flicked the lights on in order to move through the apartment. I dropped my jacket over the couch, where I found my 'guest' when I returned to the living room. He looked up just in time to catch the clothes with his face, and he grumbled while tugging the shirt on. I frowned when I realized that he filled out the shirt as well as I did. The high school body I once knew was nothing by a memory.

"What's the matter, teme? Realizing I'm still stronger than you?" I looked up to his smirk while keeping a look of irritation on my face.

"Your maturity amazes me," I replied dryly, ignoring the irritating warmth in my stomach when he grinned.

"I see you haven't dropped the stoic act."

"And you haven't picked up a brain." His smile turned into a glare, and for a moment I felt younger. I hadn't kept a conversation I had been interested in for years. But somehow, the chatty blond tended to bring out the more vocal side of myself.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I did make it into college and passed with…err…well I passed." Which meant he barely made it through whatever college he attended.

"Hn." I didn't bother responding more than that, moving through my apartment. By the time I returned from the kitchen, Naruto was interesting himself with the pictures that Sakura hung inside of my apartment. I didn't need to look to know which picture he was focused on.

"Who's this girl? The one with the pink hair." But he tried to show the lack of interest by switching to another picture.

"Haruno Sakura." I moved across the room, stopping beside him to admire the hanging frozen moments. Many were from college and the years after. Sakura insisted that photographs would look nice hung up, and I didn't have the motivation to argue with her stubbornness.

"She's pretty hot." He paused for a second, as if he didn't already know his next question. "You do it with her?"

"I assure you, the feelings are platonic." From my viewpoint, they were. Hopefully Lee was helping dissolve the romantic feelings from Sakura's side. Remembering the roommate that Naruto was yelling to, I crossed my arms over my chest before continuing the dwindling conversation. "I'm assuming there was a reason for you barging into my house?"

"I didn't barge, I asked to come in. It's not every day I get to talk to Uchiha Sasuke. You know, like we used to." I didn't like the way this conversation was going. Though it was true that Naruto and I were much…closer in our high school years, looking back at them did not sound safe. Old memories brought back old feelings; feelings which were supposed to be ended a long time ago.

"We also were in several classes together, dobe. It was inevitable that we would talk." But like a moth drawn to an orange flame, I couldn't help but throw in my own input.

"I'm not a dobe anymore, you bastard! Ever since you left our hometown, I've done way better." The festering pain from before grew inside of my stomach. In anger, I shoved it down and glared at him.

"If you came here to discuss how great you perceive yourself, then show yourself out. I don't care about your 'success' and I have a meeting early tomorrow morning that will not be excused because of an annoying blond." He seemed to panic a bit at my cold warning, and internally I smirked. Even after all of the years apart, Naruto's personality was still as predictable as before.

"Don't be like that, teme!"

"Then speak."

"I'm not a dog you can order around," He grumbled, his lower lips jutting out to form a pout. Staring at the face for a second, I looked away before he could realize I was staring.

"The resemblance is uncanny."

"Why do you have my picture?" I didn't let the sudden dryness of my throat stop me from speaking.

"Sakura told me I—"

"Sakura doesn't _know_ me, why would she tell you to put my picture up?" Sometimes the dobe was smarter than he acted. I glared at him while he continued. "And since when do you listen to anyone? Especially some girl you're not even in a relationship with."

"I've grown up, Naruto. Not everything you knew about me is the same." Which was accurate, in a way. My materialistic life had been completely reversed since I left the sleepy town of Konoha to pursue my educational career here. But Naruto didn't seem quite as convinced as I was about my adaptations.

"Personalities don't just change! You're still a prick and anti-social, and I'm still handsome and the life of the party. I bet you don't even have any other friends other than this Sakura girl."

"That doesn't concern you."

"Of course it does you bastard. I care about anything that involves—" He stopped mid sentence, and I watched his face quickly darken in color.

"Involves what?" Naruto squirmed in his spot, which brought a slight smirk to my lips. The dobe was never good at hiding his emotions or backtracking.

"Shut up. It's not like you care anyways." He crossed his arms and pouted like a child, something I expected from him. Just like I should have prepared myself for the honest blue gaze that pieced my stomach as sharply as it had done several years ago. "And here I thought you'd try to forget me after graduation night."

"I should have." Just like I should have never let him into my apartment. Searching for an acceptable reason to avoid the oncoming memories, I stared at the clock and waited for the final few minutes to disappear. After that, I could think of how I planned to avoid the blond idiot at all costs.

"But you didn't. So…so you've thought of me then."

"No. I never said that."

"I mean I guess I should have known I was just too handsome to forget. I probably still get you hot under the collar." His lopsided grin struck a chord that had laid still for years, despite Sakura's attempts to find it. I didn't like how easily he stirred emotions through my stomach.

"Shut up, dobe." I closed my eyes for a moment, but it was enough time for Naruto to advance without my permission. Opening my eyes to a face inches from mine, I quickly tried to step back from the intrusion of personal space. However, an arm that wasn't mine held tighter onto my unprotected waist. I didn't let the surprise show on my face, but narrowed my eyes in a deadly warning while I spoke. "Remove yourself from me before I _assist _you."

"I think I kind of like this. No, now that I think about it…I _really _like it." I hated how honest and open he could be. It was the reason we had been connected throughout high school. At first, he had no problems telling me exactly what he thought about my 'ice-prick' attitude. If he wanted to say something he did, no matter who it was. Half of the fights he participated in started with honesty. He seemed to enjoy it more when I glared or scoffed than when we fought. That honestly didn't falter when we somehow moved through our relationship as tolerable friends. He had no set-backs or hesitation in telling me I was important, even if I could never respond in the right way. The verbal response was never a factor in his mind; he just said what he wanted. If people said anything bad about me and my cold personality, Naruto was the first idiot to defend. He never openly expressed why he felt the need to defend me when I was perfectly comfortable with letting the morons of our school squawk. He just did. How he squirmed his way so deep into my life I still wasn't sure of, and I had a feeling I'd never understand his absurd methods. I just realized that every day I spend with the annoyance, the deeper he got.

It was that same honesty that I didn't want to hear again.

"The ten minutes is over. Leave." I took his moment of surprise to detach myself from him, wasting no time in pushing him toward the door. Hearing the door knob twist woke him from his momentary surprise.

"Wait! You're really going to kick me out? But we haven't even—"

"And I don't plan to. Whatever your intentions are, forget them." By now I managed to push him out of my apartment, reminding myself that I had always been stronger than an average person. He quickly turned toward me, being much quicker than I could remember.

"Don't think you're going to run away again!" I rolled my eyes, leaning against my door and sighing.

"I didn't run away. I went to college."

"You told me you were staying in town! You said you were going to a close school. It was third in the country for computers. Then you were going to follow if your family's tradition and open your own cooperation in town. That was your plan before graduation night." Why he remembered such frivolous things, I didn't want to understand. In a way, I knew I had the own answer to my questions. But I didn't feel like stirring up old monsters.

"Plans change, dobe. You said yourself you never intended to leave."

"That was until you went missing. Of course I had to go after you! You are my best friend, the first person I…I..." The silence was long after that, because intimate moments between the two of us were rare. The few times we had admitted to being best friends were during fights with other people, provoked to admit that we weren't as hateful to each other as we wanted people to think. And during senior year, we shifted to something even we couldn't quite get right. Not that we told anyone.

"You were my best friend," I finally managed out, scowling at the light that filled his face. That happiness dissolved into anger once I spoke again. "However, as I said before, things change people."

"You told me I was important to you! Did that change too?" My fingers clenched on the edge of my door, and his eyes darted to the movement before he continued. "Your family misses you, and so doesn't everyone else at home. And I…I can tell you're not even happy here. I _know _you, Sasuke. And I'm going to bring you back home. Back where you belong. No matter how long it takes!"

"…Goodnight." I shut the door, closing off the past and any weakening emotion that went it. But like smoke, memories spilled out underneath my doorway and leaked into my apartment for several days after our first encounter. It didn't help that Naruto continued to show up outside of my door with an excuse every time. They ranged from needing soap to their toilet being clogged. One two occasions he brought the blonde he lived with, Yamanaka Ino. She was as loud as Naruto, and I could quite clearly see their midnight argument wasn't the only time they fought. I found out over Chinese food (Naruto had it delivered to my house as yet another excuse to come in) that she was in fact dating. It just wasn't the dobe. I knew Naruto waited until I was mid-chew in order to announce her boyfriend was Shikamaru, hoping I would spit out my food like a child. I could see the pout when he realized I simply swallowed as naturally as normal. So he went for plan B.

"_Seems smart people are just attracted to hot blonds, eh Teme?" _The suggestive question still caused my skin to darken. It wasn't the only time he tried to shed light back onto our relationship in high school. Any chance he got, he used photo albums and school yearbooks to enforce memories I hadn't thought of for years. He'd say them casually, as if they didn't have a point. But Naruto's eyes always gave him away, watching me intently for a reaction. It was like a game for him, to see how long it would take for me to crack. I hated to admit that he was, slowly, altering my life. Sakura had commented about seeing me less and less at the office, and how it'd become easier to call me at my apartment. I explained the lack of work, despite the fact it was one of the busiest times of the year. With Christmas only a month away, Sakura only grew more suspicious. I didn't feel the need to tell her about my blond nuisance.

"So Teme, how do they get the cream inside of the jelly doughnuts?" I felt my eye twitch as I peeked over my newspaper to watch Naruto examine the round breakfast item in his hand. Unannounced as always (otherwise I would make sure I wasn't home), Naruto decided to waste my Sunday morning with pointless questions. Not like that was anything new.

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does!" He said it as if I was the stupid one. I scoffed and flipped my page of my newspaper, pretending to ignore him. Despite my head's demands, I continued to lift my gaze to him, watching his eyes flicker with curiosity. I tried to convince myself it was to assure he wasn't doing anything destructive to my apartment.

"When do you intend to leave?" I asked slowly, looking to the clock over his head. By now, after spending nearly an hour watching him dissect his breakfast, it was almost eleven. I looked back to him just in time to see him shrug.

"Ino left for the week to go see Shikamaru. It's too boring to stay at my apartment, and it's not like you've got any friends. So…" I arched my brow slowly when he stopped playing with his food to look up at me. I watched silently as his lips quirked up into a smile that squeezed something in my stomach. "I think we should go out tonight."

"Excuse me?"

"You know, out of the apartment! I heard that there's a real sweet lobster shack on the outside of the city, about a half hour away. Since you're into fancy food, and I'll eat anything that don't eat me first, I figured lobster would be good. Besides, when's the last time you left this apartment?"

"Friday when I went to work." I knew what he meant, but I enjoyed making him pout.

"You're a bastard."

"Nobody is making you stay."

"Oh no, you're not getting rid of me that easily." He leaned over when I went to pull the news between us, pinning the flimsy paper to the kitchen table. Unwillingly my breath paused in my chest when his body leaned over the table, bringing our mouths within inches of each other. Not close enough to kiss, but the implication was there if I wanted to take it. This also had become routine with the idiot who couldn't take a hint. Then again, he might have stopped if he hadn't continued to receive the response he wanted. His eyes connected with mine, his warmth breath stinging the skin on my cheeks. It was only times like these when Naruto realized his voice had more than one volume. "Come out with me tonight."

"What if I have plans?" Despite the shiver coiling through my stomach, I managed to scowl. I didn't moved when tanned fingers skimmed the side of my cheek, right where I knew a tone of red was forming.

"Then I guess you better cancel them, though I highly doubt you do. Every Sunday you sit at home and do nothing. You're a creature of extremely boring habits." Sometimes, I wish he didn't know how to speak. Scoffing, I grabbed his forehead with my hand and pushed him away from me, ignoring his loud cry while I stood from the table. "What the hell was that for?!"

"You were being annoying. Stop invading my personal space, dobe." I grabbed the newspaper and left the room, tossing it into the recyclable bin outside of my door. I knew, like a lost puppy, Naruto would follow.

"Be ready for seven tonight!"

"I didn't say I would go." Completely ignoring me, Naruto popped the last bit of his food into his mouth and made his way into the hallway.

"I'm going to drive, so you don't have to worry about that."

"You finally got your license?" Truly, I was more surprised than I sounded. Naruto had failed five separate times during the course of high school, and it was said that he was the reason the driver's ed teacher quit road lessons. After being in three separate crashes within one year, it would make any sane person quit.

"Of course I did!" As if proud of proving my doubt wrong, he wiggled his wallet out of his pants pocket and showed me the picture of himself on his license. I examined its authenticity for a second before tossing it back to him.

"I'm driving."

"What?! But…but I got my—"

"Still driving, dobe." He glared at me while I leaned against my doorway, smirking at him tauntingly. That anger flashed out of his eyes a second before a goofy grin covered his face.

"So you're going out with me tonight?" I stiffened after remembering I didn't agree to go. Before I had time to recant my statement, Naruto was already dancing to a song he made up. "I've got a date with Teme, I've got a date with Teeeeme!"

"It's not a date," I corrected quickly, not that he seemed to care. Too wrapped up in himself, he didn't notice the set of shoes he had left in his doorway. His singing came to a halt after he felt into his apartment, curses now filling the air while he kicked his door shut. If I didn't already know he lacked a brain, I might have been concerned for brain damage. Right now I was more concerned about seven o'clock. For the rest of the day, unwillingly, I was plagued by the night our relationship dissolved into nothing.

_~**~_

"_I can't believe you graduated." I stared down at Naruto's graduation certificate while he grinned. _

"_Course I did! You didn't think I was going to let you graduate without me did ya? That'd just be another thing you'd use against me."_

"_Dobe," I said, rolling the certificate back up before I handed it over to him. As if it was made of gold, Naruto carefully tucked it into his coat pocket before lying back on the hill we were sitting on. Determined to find a place away from all of the celebrations, Naruto had dragged me behind his parent's house. There rested several hills that as a kid, I was forced to explore with the idiot. We both now sat on what Naruto considered his own hill, which happened to be the best to look at the town from. It was also the hill that held many 'firsts' for the two of us, like our first fight and kiss (both of which Naruto initiated). _

"_Have you heard back from that college yet? The one like, ten minutes away? I hope they deny your sorry ass." Hearing his comment, I couldn't help but scoff. Naruto would be a mess if I ever left, he knew it as well as I did. Ever since we met, we had been joined at the hip. First as 'rivals' as Naruto put it, then friends, and…the final step was blurry, but closer than friends or companions. _

"_They accepted me, as well as four other schools I applied to. Did you manage to make a school feel guilty enough to accept you?"_

"_You shut up! I got into college fair and square!" I smirked slightly at the way he growled, once again skewing the line between human and animal. _

"_Barely."_

"_I hate you." _

"_Do you?" We stared at each other for a moment, in yet another silent competition. Finally, Naruto's stubbornness fell to his embarrassment, and he looked away from me with a flush. I knew, without asking, that too much had happened between us for him to truly hate me. Sadly, he knew the same applied for me. "Hn."_

"_Why do you ask stupid questions like that?" I watched him sit up slowly, shoving his hands into his pockets as if cold. If it wasn't June, I may have believed him. _

"_Because you're a stupid person." _

"_Teme!" And just like that, Naruto tackled me down the hill. Between rolls he tried to hit me, but the constant shift of our position made it impossible to land a true punch. We stopped halfway down the hill, losing momentum from the initial push. By this time Naruto had scrambled over me, as if he belonged there. Heavy breathing filled the air for two seconds until he pressed forward and kissed me. Once, a couple months before graduation, it would have shocked me to feel Naruto slide his tongue against my lower lip in permission to enter. But now I only sighed and laced my fingers through his untamable hair and parted my lips to start a different kind of competition. Naruto tended to resort to physical actions when his verbal skills were lacking. It was why we weren't in a formal relationship, and yet had participated in several intimate acts throughout our senior year. It was why he could press his hips into mine to show his blunt arousal without saying he needed me to stay around. Why he would throw a punch before admitting that I pissed him off or hurt him. Where his linguistic skills lacked, his physical skills soared._

"_Dobe," I mumbled, watching the eager idiot look up from unbuttoning my shirt. He didn't still his hands (which had mastered buttons) while he tilted his head._

"_What? You too sore from the last time?" His smirk filled with cockiness, I made sure to make it disappear with a sharp jerk of my hips into his. _

"_Shut up."_

"_You're the one who started talking!" Not wanting to admit it was true, I leaned forward to suck on Naruto's earlobe, causing what little brain he had to scatter. For some reason, despite his need to 'top', Naruto always went haywire when I acted on my own. It comforted a part of him, I assumed, to know that he wasn't the only one with sexual interests. Listening to the honest moans of the blonde over me, I returned to the question I had tried to ask earlier._

"_There was a reason—" I hated to admit that my breath hitched when he leaned forward to suck on my newly exposed collarbone. Swallowing to compose myself, I dragged my fingers down Naruto's spine while I spoke. "You brought me here, right?"_

"_Oh." Suddenly, the friction between our hips stopped. I glanced up at him silently while his entire mood changed. Where once the normal, overly horny Naruto was, sat a nervous, hesitant shell of someone I wasn't quite sure was the same person. I pushed up to sit, unintentionally ending up in a position I didn't enjoy. Moving to leave the spot over Naruto's thighs, I felt a harsh tug on my hip that caused me to fall back into the idiot's lap. Scowling, I sent a warning look to him only to reveal his attention wasn't on me. Instead, his focus now was on the receding sunlight that was being eaten by the darkness of night. "Yeah, there's a reason."_

"_Do I need to be on your lap for this?" I asked, showing my distaste through my tone. If he noticed it, he didn't show it. The only way I knew he heard me was the tightening of his hand on my hip. _

"_Sasuke," He started, and instantly I felt my back tense. Neither of us tended to use the other's name after years of name-calling. Mostly, our indications of each other's presence was an insult. Hearing my name was an indicator that he wasn't indulging into a normal conversation. "What…uh…what do…I mean to you?"_

"_Excuse me?" I couldn't help but blink at the strange question. Then again, it was coming from a strange person. When he didn't make fun of the obvious surprise I knew was on my face, I suddenly realized he was serious in his prodding. "Why are you asking that?"_

"_Can't you just answer the damn question?!" He snapped, then quickly smacked himself and shook his head. "Crap, I didn't wanna yell."_

"_There's a change."_

"_Are you avoiding the question?"_

"_No. You haven't answered mine." He sighed as if the conversation was weighing down on him. _

"_Because I…I think you…damnit, I think you mean a lot to me!" His face, I was certain, was a deeper red than mine. Still, I couldn't deny the heat that started to warm my face._

"_I know that."_

"_No, you don't know!" I watched his hands rake through his hair, and his frustration was quite evident in his face. Wrinkles creased his nose and forehead, while his lip was chewed roughly enough to leave marks. _

"_Stop."_

"_Stop what?" _

"_Acting like a teenage girl about to confess to her crush." If I had known how accurate I was, I may not have said it so bitterly. Despite the constant fighting between us, I never intentionally attempted to hurt him. Seeing Naruto depressed tended to put me into a foul mood, which I could never quite figure out. _

"_Shut up! I…" It wasn't the words that spilled from Naruto's mouth that gave him away. Once again, his verbal communication tended to be less than impressive. It was the way he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me into an almost desperate kiss that set someone off in my head. As if we were never going to touch again, Naruto's mouth was relentless in tasting every inch of my mouth. Normally, Naruto would switch battle fields between our kiss. He once, if I could remember correctly, told me it made the kiss more interesting. But this wasn't for interest or fun. This kiss, in what I would learn once he pulled back from my lips, would be the ending of whatever we had built throughout our entire lives. Taking one gasp for breath, he let the incredible sensation of the kiss help him through his confession. "I love you. God, I love you more than anyone else. A-And I need you to know that you love me too." _

_I'm not sure what I felt. Some people claim that they feel like something burst inside of them, or like a bucket of ice water was dumped over their heads. Neither seemed to quite describe the moments after Naruto's heavy confession. I stared down at him, not looking away for a second. At first, I thought it was to see if his features wavered or changed to prove he was playing another prank on me. After nearly a minute of silence, it wasn't just for observation anymore. I realized I just couldn't take my eyes away from his. That was when the feeling of panic filled me. Despite the irregular heartbeat and tightening of my stomach, I felt trapped. I pulled myself back from him, ignoring the look of confusion on his face in order to lift myself to my feet. My plan to leave quietly was ruined when he scrambled up to stand, grabbing my wrist to leave me immobilized. _

"_Sasuke…" _

"_Go home." I said it with as much control as I could. Still, I knew my voice wavered when I felt him try to pull me back toward him._

"_What? Are you kidding me? I just tell you that….that…and you just tell me to go home? You don't mean that!"_

"_Are you implying you know me better than myself?" I turned to face him, keeping distance and avoiding any connection of our eyes. Instead, I settled my gaze onto his shoulder. "You're being childish. Now that high school is ending, you are scared of everything that is changing around you. You have to leave your school, friends, and memories. You're trying to cling to me in order to keep something."_

"_Wait-" But I didn't. I couldn't, even if part of me wanted to. The panic continued to rise with every second I thought about his admission. So with one yank I broke the connection physically from Naruto._

"_You don't love me, Naruto. You're just afraid of being alone." And then I broke our connection completely. He stood in front of me silently, but I didn't look up to see what emotion was leaving him speechless. I didn't waste time turning away from him, moving away from the hill. Once I knew I was out of site, I ran to my house as fast as I could. I ignored every call I received, both home and cell phone, while I answered my acceptance letters to each college. Choosing the one farthest away from home, I packed my bags and moved into my brother's apartment within the next week. I let nobody know about where I was staying, knowing that a certain blond would follow if I did. Once college started a few months later, I changed my cell phone number and tried to forget anything about the last night I spent with him._

_It was only years later, when I saw him standing in my apartment hallway, that I realized he and his love confession had never left my head or heart to begin with. _

~**~

Despite living two seconds away from me, the idiot was late. Old habits die hard, I guess. He gawked at the black sports car that I had, which I assumed was far out of his price range. Once I told him that, he started to argue about how I knew nothing about his job or paycheck. This argument led us through most of the car ride, the rest being spent giving directions to the restaurant.

"See? I told you it was a nice place." I hated to admit that he was right. When I had first heard 'Lobster shack' I intended to find a shabby place that was run by a peg-legged man and his parrot. That seemed to be Naruto's style, at least. I was surprised to see the seemingly expensive restaurant that greeted its customers with nice dress attire. The inside was quite impressive, which Naruto seemed to know from the way he grinned at me across the table. "Well what do you think of it?"

"It's acceptable," I replied, not wanting to boost the idiot's ego more. As if clockwork, my heartbeat skipped when a lopsided grin slipped on his face. I reminded myself to go to the doctor to check for a heart murmur.

"You know, I'm going to take that as a personal compliment." I scoffed at his self-centeredness.

"Why, do you own this establishment? Because unless you do, I doubt you deserve the credit."

"If I was going to own a restaurant, it'd be serving Ramen. Not only is it the best food in the world, but I can't cook anything else. That's the benefit of having Ino around, you know. She's pretty good with a whisk and a pan." He leaned back in his chair but didn't stop smiling despite my scoff.

"Then why would you think you deserved the credit?"

"Because I designed it." It was then he turned his attention to the right, nodding toward a man that took me a second to remember. "Hyuuga Neji asked me to do it when he saw my business open up in Konoha about two years ago."

"You're an architect? Doesn't that require intelligence?"

"All you need to be an architect is a ruler and some creativity. Besides, I run everything with my partner anyways. He's the brains of the operation." I could only remember one friend from high school besides myself that was smarter than Naruto. And seeing the way the idiot tried to balance the spoon on his nose, I highly doubted he hung out with the calculus team in college.

"Are you implying that Shikamaru is wasting his aptitude with you?"

"Well he's not wasting his…whatever you just said. We're both pulling in $90,000 a year you know. I bet that's about as much as you, huh?" Exactly as much as myself, but I didn't intend to tell him that. Instead, I reached forward and pulled the spoon away from his nose, placing it back in its original spot. "Hey!"

"How did you convince Shikamaru to work with you?"

"Easy. I introduced him to Ino in exchange for one year of business with me. And, as you can see, both relationships are still working quite fine now." Despite the side of me that found his ways idiotic, I couldn't stop the slight quirk of my lips at how proud he seemed of his work. He noticed the movement, but was distracted when the waitress came to take our orders. I assumed that Naruto came here quite often, since he knew both what he wanted to order and the waitress. She came back after placing our orders, explaining that Neji had made sure to let us have our own waitress. Her name was Tenten, and from the way Naruto teased her about Neji, it seemed he knew much more than that. He was genuinely excited to hear about Neji's proposal to have dinner somewhere other than his own restaurant.

"I told you he liked you. Really, you should just trust me. I can tell when people should be with each other." I pretended to not notice the suggestive look he sent me after Tenten placed our food in front of us. Tenten seemed to get the hint, excusing herself from the table within seconds. I mentally sighed, working on my lobster while Naruto spoke. "How come you don't ever bring dates home?"

"Is that really your concern?" I asked, not bothering to lift my head up to him.

"I think it's cause you don't go on dates, huh? We've been neighbors for months and yet you're always at home, brooding about life and how emo you are." At that, I did look across the table to glare.

"I don't brood. And 'emo' is a teenager fad. I simply don't have time for dating."

"But you have time for me."

"Because you burst into my house whenever you feel like it, dobe." As the conversation progressed, so didn't the speed. It seemed the more questions and comments he made, the quicker I felt the need to answer them. Maybe it was a hope that he would run out of things to say, which was impossible.

"But you never kick me out."

"I've tried multiple times."

"Yeah right! You may be older now, but I doubt you've forgotten how to fight. You may not be as strong as me, teme, but you haven't even tried to hit me."

"We're not sixteen anymore. Adults don't fight."

"We do."

"No, we don't." I stabbed the lobster meat with my fork as if someone it would also kill the conversation. Unfortunately, it didn't.

"Isn't this fighting?"

"No, this is arguing."

"That's the same thing!"

"You're annoying."

"I've always been annoying. That didn't stop you before."

"Hn."

"Did you miss me?" The speed of the conversation was too fast to think about lying.

"Yes." The conversation finally stopped. His face lit up like he had just won a year's supply of Ramen, and I scoffed before looking down at my plate. I didn't like the fact that now, the room seemed way too hot for my comfort despite the sea breeze coming through the windows. His eyes, I knew, were locked on me. Trying to ignore it, I continued to work on the lobster while letting the silence fall over us. Somehow, Naruto managed to keep himself quiet through the rest of dinner, only speaking when Tenten came back over to check on us. After a half hour of eating, I waited outside of the restaurant for Naruto to come out. He had stopped to say goodbye to Neji, and probably bug him about his date with Tenten. Either way, the idiot finally came out of the restaurant with the same smile he had been wearing almost all night.

"We're going to have to come back here soon for another date! I forgot how good their food is." He rubbed his stomach for emphasis when we moved into the car.

"Who said anything about two dates?" I asked. But in Naruto's head, everything went the way he wanted.

"Well why wouldn't we?" I opened my mouth to respond to the stupid idea, but realized that I didn't have an answer. I didn't have one for the entire rest of the car ride, which seemed fine with the blond next to me. Feeling a slight frustration, I walked up the stairs much faster than normal in order to end the 'date'.

"Goodnight." What once worked with Naruto didn't seem to affect him twice. The idiot decided the best place to talk about what was said at the dinner table was against the door of my apartment. I glared at him, silently wondering when he had gotten so close to my height.

"You tend to run away at the worst moments, Teme."

"I don't run," I corrected quickly, despite the memory that kept resurfacing in my head.

"Walk away, whatever! Either way, you try to get away from me." This time, I could see quite clearly the anger and pain mixing in his features. I tried not to let it affect me while I leaned back completely on my front door.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I don't want you around?"

"Yeah, it has." That mildly surprised me. My attention was drawn to his hand as he curled his fingers into his palm on my doorframe. "I thought about that a lot. But every time, I knew that wasn't it."

"And what brought you to that conclusion?"

"Because Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't have had sex with someone he didn't like!" Apparently, he became much smoother with his verbal communication. The same feeling of alarm started to swirl in my stomach when he leaned closer, pressing his forehead against mine. Split between wanting to shove him away from me or wanting to punch him, I was glued to my position. Strange how that is the answer of those two options. I struggled to act unaffected when he spoke again. "Which means...Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't even _think _about making love with someone he didn't love."

"I don't see how this connects to an idiot like you."

"Simple." I hated when Naruto let that determined light enter his eyes, especially when it involved me and the word 'love'. So hearing his next declaration made the panic consume me. "You're going to make love with me tonight."

Before I even had time to breath, his mouth captured mine. Like déjà vu the feeling of kissing Naruto washed over me and left my spine shivering. I reached out and grabbed his shoulder, only it wasn't to push him away. His tongue gently swiped my lips, and I cursed myself for opening them so easily. He moved in like he belonged there, gently tasting what I hadn't thought I'd let another person taste again. It felt annoyingly good to feel him so eager to press me into the door, despite the slight pain it caused my back. I hated to admit that probably wouldn't have been worth it for anyone but the one kissing me then.

How Naruto managed to make it to my bedroom, I wasn't positive about. How he even got into my apartment was a mystery, since the key had been in my pocket with my other keys. I blinked once and realized we were both shirtless, which bothered me. Naruto had been fast as a kid when it came to undressing, while I tended to try and keep as much clothing on as I could. I wasn't shy or self-conscious about my body; I just tended to get colder after sex than the self-heating furnace above me. Said idiot couldn't understand my need for clothes, and made it a game to see how many pieces he could strip from me. And tonight, by the way he kissed down my stomach while yanking on my slacks; I knew he wasn't going to stop.

"How do you stay so friggen skinny when you punch like the hulk?" I snorted at his question, but it quickly turned into a moan when Naruto suckled the skin just under my belly button. Despite the years apart, Naruto's memory didn't seem to lapse when it came to my body. Proud of remembering, Naruto continued to tease the spot while I arched my back and hissed.

"Shut up." He frowned at how in control I sounded, and showed his frustration by nipping at the spot before sliding my pants away from me. Quietly I huffed before pushing up onto my elbows, glaring when he shook the pants off of my feet and slid back up my legs. "Do you 'convince' all of your sex buddies like this?"

"No." He skimmed the inside of my boxers with his fingers, his mouth occupying itself by drawing his name on my stomach with his tongue. It sent a few jolts of pleasure into my body, which I tried to ignore by glaring. But it was hard to forget how good the rough taste buds felt rolling along my skin while Naruto branded me with invisible ink. Some part of me cringed at the implication that I would ever allow myself to be owned by such an idiot. That part, however, must have been blind to the erotic scene Naruto made perches over me like a starving animal. His hair was still untamable as ever, adding to the wild nature that only the moron could make intriguing. Finally done with his name, he looked up at me and sheepishly smiled. "I haven't really…you know…"

"I highly doubt that." He balked at my response.

"What do you mean?! I'm telling you the truth damnit!"

"You couldn't go a month in high school," I said bluntly, reminding him of his severe case of hormones as a teenager. He slightly flushed, and then responded by brushing his fingers against my newly sensitive cock. I jerked into the touch, blaming my sudden rush of desire on the lack of intimacy, and not the blond who now boldly grasped onto me. Fingers that hadn't touched my skin in years coiled around heated flesh like they belonged there.

"That's what a hand is for, asshole. Let me show you." From the way he skillfully ran his hand against my arousal, I could tell he had practiced a lot. My arms shook from underneath me, and I shut my eyes when he started to press open mouthed kisses to my neck. His hands were rougher than I expected from an architect, but more like the sports playing teenager that used to crave my body like oxygen. The memory only added to the pleasure curling into my stomach. I leaned my head back slowly, nearly gasping when his tongue started to lick against my Adam's apple. The two sensations swirled together and left my body unaware of anything but the bliss that ran through my veins like blood. I struggled to keep my hips still, but Naruto made it impossible to stay idle for long. Within minutes my body was trembling for a release. I barely recognized the kiss pressed against my temple.

"I uh….I missed you too, you know. I mean we-I…I still…you know, I-really I still do!" How I managed to understand anything, especially with how soft Naruto was fumbling around with it, was from sheer luck. Grabbing a breath that barely made it to my lungs, I peeled my eyes open to watch how arousal and embarrassment returned Naruto back to the blubbering idiot I had grown up with.

"_Dobe_." He looked down at me, probably from shock at the deep tone I used. I stared at him for a minute, feeling the same unanswered emotions I had several years ago. Ignoring the voice of reason in my head, I did the only thing I hadn't done that I wanted to. His eyes only widened when I pulled him down, sighing against his lips before pulling him into a quiet kiss. His muscles tensed, and for a second his hand paused on my arousal. His concentration was scattered when I bit his lip, but quickly he regained enough control to kiss me back. It only lasted a few seconds before he shivered and pulled away, panting into my mouth.

"Sorry but…I just…nya." This time, he didn't try to finish his sentence. Within seconds he was pulling me to kneel on the bed, his fingers easily sliding inside of me. I gritted my teeth tightly at the old sensation, which was slightly more painful from lack of use. He seemed to notice the strain, because his lips were caressing my spine while he stroked the inside of my body with his fingers. I didn't shout or cry when he gently pressed against the prostate. The sensation was a rush that left me breathless, and my thighs shook when he continued to roll his fingers inside of my now sensitive opening. He parted my legs with his own while he rested behind me, pulling his fingers back when his chest rested against my back. The moment of withdrawal gave me time to breath, though not much before his hand stroked down my oversensitive arousal. The building sensation was too much, and I had to close my eyes when his fingers played with the pre-cum on my tip.

"S-Stop." I tried to sound demanding when I pressed my hips back away from his hand, but I only received a shake of hair against the back of my shoulder before his lips pressed to the bare skin.

"I was...wasn't scared to be alone. I've been alone for years now. It's you who's afraid. You were afraid to be with someone. To _love _someone back. Your friends, your family, or me. Anyone who would love you. So…so you ran away from it. You thought…if you left, you wouldn't love any of us still. And we'd…we'd just, forget you or some stupid shit like that!" His words built the panic like his hand built my desire to finish. He paused his hand while he thought of something else to say, before finally slipping it away from my cock and grasping my hips. My back arched when he started to enter me, not speaking against until his body was completely pressed into mine. I fell slightly forwards at the feeling of his words and his body entering me. His hands kept my hips high, refusing to release me even when my arms buckled.

"But…it didn't work. You love me, don't you?" If he expected me to respond, he shouldn't have rolled his hips so fast. His head buried into my neck while he moved, easily sending me straight toward the edge I had wanted to fall over. My heavy breathing was mixed with his moans that continued to increase with his speed. One hand slipped away from my hip and slithered across the bed and captured mine, twisting our fingers into a tight embrace. My eyes parted to stare at the connection, and Naruto pressed closer to my back as he spoke. "I love you, teme. It won't just-fuck! It won't go away. But I want to-need to-know if…if you can g-get out of your own damn head and…and love me too."

"You…" Breathing was coming second to listening to the idiot talk. He gripped my hip tighter and tilted his hips, parting my lips in a weak groan. Talking wasn't possible with him brushing against my prostate in such an open way. I could tell by his panting against my ear that Naruto wasn't holding back as he thrust into me. He was giving me everything that he held back. It made my ears ring with my pounding of my heart, and my body shook with need. I realized, with unnaturally wide eyes and a choked moan, that I had never forgotten Naruto. The years I had spent telling myself to ignore things that reminded me of him, and replaying the reasons why I couldn't go back home, were excuses to think of the blond idiot. Why I spent nights comparing Kiba to Naruto were just reasons to think of the quirks of the dobe. I panicked not because I hadn't wanted him to love me, but because of my own insecurity. I had…missed him. Probably wanted him. Maybe even…

"Tell me you love me, Sasuke. Say it." Too weak and surrounded to fight, I pressed my head back against his neck and caved into myself.

"…Love you." The panic in my chest disappeared, leaving only the orgasm that blurred my vision. Pleasure gripped my body, freezing any thought of moving away from Naruto. I felt myself shudder as my orgasm wracked my body, the only noise allowed in my blocked ears were the heavy moans behind me. He seemed to let go a couple seconds after mine, his rough thrusts pushing my orgasm longer than normal. Somewhere, the strength in my arms wasn't completely gone, and I pushed myself up after reality came back to me. I only stayed that for a minute before I felt Naruto's hands pull me back to him, not giving me a moment to relax before he was catching my mouth in an unbalanced kiss. I felt the sweat stick between his chest and my back, but I ignored it for a second to let Naruto get his fill of the afterglow taste he claimed I always had. Finally, he released my chin and I took the moment to push him off of me. Without his support I wobbled and fell back to the bed, completely forgetting how exhausting sex could be when it came to someone energetic like Naruto.

"How the hell did I live without that? Much better than my hand!" He had the class of an animal.

"Hn." If he intended me to answer with anything but that, he would be disappointed. I grabbed my pillow, pressing my forehead into it try and think about everything that had just happened. Having sex again with the dobe was…more than enjoyable. But the confession wasn't something I was quite proud of. In a messed up way, Naruto had been correct. If what he was saying was true about his abstinence, then he had no trouble being alone. He just had an issue being away from me, the emotional moron. It was me that he claimed had the problem. It was now, after I realized that my feelings for the blond had never really left, that I realized he could be right. Maybe leaving town had been my way of escaping replying to Naruto's confession. I should have known that somehow, the stubborn idiot would find me and force it out.

"Stop moping." A sheet fell over my body a second before I was yanked back into Naruto's arms. He curled around me like a cat, immobilizing me as well as heating my cold skin. It was only then that I remembered I was shivering. I felt the grin of him widen against the back of my ear, and then he buried his head into my shoulder. "You're so emo."

"I'm not explaining this again."

"Yeah yeah, go to bed. Last thing we need is a crabby teme. Then again, I don't have to deal with you at work." Damn. I forgot about work. It seemed that spending one night with him immediately caused lack of memory and bad judgment. It was something I was going to have to adjust to again. I paused, realizing I had implied that I would continue to deal with him. Quietly I glanced back at the mop of hair that poked out from my shoulder. Naruto had always had a thing for cuddling after sex, and I accepted it for the warmth. Or at least, that's what I told him. But for one, it felt nice not to be alone.

~**~

"So Lee is well, then." I didn't question it, since I knew it was true. I could hear the pink haired girl giggle into the phone at the mention of her new love interest. Though it was only the second week into February, Sakura seemed quite content with her decision to give Lee a try. Now, the two were joined at the hip.

"Very well! He spends more time here than his own apartment, which is silly I think. I mean, if he's going to waste money on an apartment and not even live there than he might as well just live here, right? I mean, it's smart, right?" I rolled my pencil along my desk while looking around my office, scowling at the snow that was dropping past my window. From the collected snow on the ground, I could tell it had been snowing for a while.

"Snow."

"Uh…what?" I sighed quietly while lifting myself from my chair, forgetting about the plans I was working on in order to grab my coat. The deadline wasn't until next week, I mentally argued when I shut the lights off in my office.

"Nothing."

"I swear you've been acting so weird. I don't understand how Naruto can deal with you, or how I managed to overlook it." Coming from a girl who had been head-over-heels in love with me months ago, I didn't bother with a comment. The last thing I needed was to bring up bad memories. Like the first time that Sakura had met Naruto. Unable to understand our 'relationship', she hadn't been able to accept Naruto until after the holidays. Now, the two were much friendlier. Then again, I think the idiot could make friends with a rock.

"Hn." I stopped when I locked the door of the office, hearing a beep from my phone. Looking to see 'Dobe' flash across my screen, I smirked and walked out into the night snow. "I need to go."

"Oh me too! I need to get ready for tonight. See you later Sasuke!" I exchanged a goodbye before switching over to the other line. I breathed in before I was cut off.

"Get your ass home right now!"

"Why?"

"Why? It's fucking snowing!" I rolled my eyes and moved into my car while I snorted.

"So what?"

"You're gonna kill yourself driving home, that's what. Those stupid plans can wait till tomorrow, and you know it." If it was Sakura, I would argue about the importance of my job. Actually, the same argument could be made for anyone else except the person on the phone. He was different.

"Hn. See you in ten." I hung up before he could gloat about how easily he had won. Even something like that he'd see as a competition. Not that he had much convincing to do, since I had already intended to come home. It irritated me that somehow; Naruto could change something about me without my permission. Then again, his ramen consumption had decreased significantly since moving in with me. Several times, he had brought up moving back to our hometown. Several times, I had ignored him. De 'convinced' me of that too by the end of winter.

In the end of it all, there was never a fear of being alone for either of us. Now, with nothing to excuse his emotions with, I can't deny that he's in love with me. And he's never been afraid to say that I'm…in love with him.

Hn. Typical Dobe.

**Whew! That was a hill and a half. Now that I think about my original idea, this really wasn't quite the way I planned it at all. Not that I don't like how it came out. =) Not bad for a NaruSasu (especially since I hardly ever do Sasuke POV), I think. But then again, it's not my opinion that matters now is it? I was just messing around with different relationship statuses with the boys. I hope that you enjoyed it! Review and let me know how it went! **


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